GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

In Catholicism, St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, andafter last season he was surely expecting a call from the GoldenState Warriors. That plea for help came in the form of a prayerfrom Father Peter Colapietro, the priest who officiated at thewedding of team owner Chris Cohan. At Cohan's request, whenFather Colapietro was in Rome in May he stopped at a church andprayed for the team at the foot of a statue of St. Jude, askingfor Golden State to be blessed with good luck in the draftlottery.

Father Colapietro even attended the lottery in late May, and hispetitions were answered when the Warriors landed the No. 1overall pick, which they used to draft Maryland power forwardJoe Smith. Golden State is in a position to make a dramaticimprovement after last season's 26-56 disaster, but with theWarriors' recent history, Father Colapietro would be wise tokeep a candle lit for them.

In 1994-95 the Warriors went from a dark-horse championshipcontender to a team in ruins. Coach Don Nelson and forward ChrisWebber tangled in a power struggle that ended with Webber'sbeing traded to the Bullets and Nelson's resigning at midseason.Latrell Sprewell, a first-team All-NBA player in '93-94, sulkedall year over the trades of his friends Webber and Billy Owens(to the Heat) and was suspended twice, for missing a practiceand for skipping a team function. Then there was the annualseries of injuries to forward Chris Mullin, who missed 57 gameslast season, 20 the season before and 36 the season before that.Last year's list of ailments included a chip fracture andsprained ligament in his left knee, and vasovagal syncope, acondition that causes occasional blackouts.

When Mullin was able to play, he showed that he can still score,and the team's disjointed offense ran more smoothly. "If Mullinhad been with us the whole season," Golden State center RonySeikaly said late in the year, "we'd be going to the playoffs,and you wouldn't be hearing about all these problems."

The Warriors could be on their way to the playoffs this season,with the help of a new management team. One of new generalmanager Dave Twardzik's first moves was to hire Rick Adelman,his former teammate with the Trail Blazers, as coach. Twardzikand Adelman have talent to work with--Mullin, Sprewell and TimHardaway are all former All-Stars and Seikaly is a solid center.But resolving a rift between Hardaway and Sprewell may be thedetermining factor in how successful the Warriors will be in'95-96.

The styles of the two guards didn't mesh on the court--Hardawayshoots early and often, a trait that didn't endear him toSprewell--and their personalities clashed off the floor too.Hardaway, a longtime Nelson supporter, said that the coach's jobcould have been saved if several players, including Sprewell,had given a better effort. Sprewell responded by callingHardaway "a Nellie brownnoser" and saying he didn't want to playwith him.

Adelman and Twardzik have tried to defuse the situation duringthe off-season, calling in Hardaway and Sprewell to discusstheir differences. "Things were said last year that might nothave been said if the team hadn't been having such a frustratingseason," Twardzik says. "Everything I've seen and heard fromboth guys so far indicates that they both want to be here--and wewant them here." Sprewell and Hardaway have apparently called atruce, but Warrior management, which acquired guard B.J.Armstrong from the Toronto Raptors as an insurance policy, willmonitor the situation closely. If friction continues, expect theWarriors to deal one of the guards, most likely Hardaway.

Golden State could be the most improved team in the league,providing they straighten out their backcourt. Seikaly's numberswere down last year, but that was partly because he lostinterest once the season became hopeless. The slender Smithwon't immediately make fans forget Webber, but he willcontribute. "When Chris came in as a rookie, he already had theclassic power forward body and more raw explosiveness," saysWarrior director of player personnel Ed Gregory. "But Joe'soverall game is more polished, and he has a better outside shot.Plus his game lacks what I call the b.s. factor. He works hisbutt off without worrying about all the highlight-reel stuff."

Adelman wants the Warriors, who were a high-scoring team underNelson, to concentrate more on defense and rebounding. But itwill be even more important for Adelman to change the team'sattitude and boost its morale. If that doesn't happen, onlydivine intervention can save them.

--P.T.

COLOR PHOTO: JOHN W. MCDONOUGH If Mullin can avoid his annual injury, the Warriors could be a team on the rise. [Chris Mullin]

BY THE NUMBERS

1994-95 TEAM STATISTICS

PPG (Rank) FG% (Rank)

OFFENSE 105.7 (6) .468 (11)DEFENSE 111.1 (27) .488 (24)

FAST START, FAST FADE

Golden State started last season with seven wins in its firsteight games, becoming one of 72 teams in NBA history to win atleast seven of its first eight. Of those 72 teams, only threefailed to make the playoffs, and only the '94-95 Warriors failedto play at least .300 ball the rest of the year. By the way, theHouston Rockets started last season 8-0 and went 39-35 afterthat, for a .527 winning percentage--and then, of course, went onto win the NBA title.

Worst Winning Percentage Following a 7-1 or 8-0 Start

'94-95 Warriors

First 8 7-1 Remainder of Season (Pct.) 19-55 (.257)Division Finish 6Playoffs Did not qualify

Forward-center Clifford Rozier started slowly as a rookie lastseason. He missed virtually all of training camp because of acontract holdout and reported in poor shape. But toward the endof the season, the 6'11", 255-pound Rozier became a demon on theboards. He averaged 10.1 rebounds over the final two months andhad 21 in a game against Houston. Even with the addition of JoeSmith, the Warriors badly need a big man to do the dirty workunder the boards, and Rozier could be the answer. There arestill doubts about his attitude--he complained about his limitedoffensive role and was suspended for a game when he missed ashootaround--but if he begins this season the way he ended thelast one, Rozier's playing time and statistics could risedramatically.